V&A
Forest Green Silk Satin Ao Dai Ensemble
Vietnamese Traditional · 2010s · Vietnamese
Production
ready-to-wear
Material
silk satin
Culture
Vietnamese
Influences
traditional Vietnamese ao dai · contemporary Asian fashion
A contemporary Vietnamese ao dai ensemble featuring a forest green silk satin tunic with three-quarter sleeves and matching wide-leg trousers. The tunic displays large ivory floral motifs scattered across the fabric, creating a bold contrast against the dark green base. The garment maintains traditional ao dai proportions with a fitted bodice that flows into loose panels, but interprets the silhouette with modern volume and relaxed tailoring. The sleeves are cut wide and flowing rather than fitted, and the accompanying trousers appear to have a contemporary palazzo-style cut rather than traditional narrow ao dai pants. The silk satin fabric creates subtle surface sheen and drapes with substantial weight.
dressstraightround neckfloor length
Connected To
Worn with·trousersWorn with·tunic
SHAREDsame era · cross-culture
These two garments reveal how the tunic-and-trouser formula becomes a canvas for cultural identity through completely different aesthetic languages. The Vietnamese ao dai transforms the silhouette into sleek modernist poetry—that high collar and body-skimming fit with floor-length side panels turning movement into liquid geometry, while the Indian salwar kameez takes the opposite approach with its flame-cut hemline that fractures the tunic's edge into organic, dancing points.
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